Yuuna
by toomanynames82
Summary: In which I replace Naruto with my OC, Yuuna, and watch how she changes canon events. Rated for gore, language, and anything else I feel like pulling out of the spice rack and throwing in the stew. AR, obviously. More details inside.
1. Chapter 1

Right, so I have an OC, and her name is Yuuna. The first idea I had for a Naruto fanfiction is about how Naruto has a twin sister named Yuuna who had the Kyuubi's yin chakra sealed into her (as opposed to it being sealed in the Shinigami's stomach). So they're yin/yang twins and it's awesome and if you want to steal the idea, please message me so our stories don't end up too similar. The thing is, the more I write, the more sporadic my ideas become. Essentially, I have bits and pieces of an epic length story, and until I can figure out exactly how to dovetail certain portions of the timeline together, I won't be publishing any of it. And, considering how long it's taken me to get as far as I have, that won't happen for a long, long time.

However, I felt that I was falling down a bottomless pit of my own creativity, and needed an anchor lest I get lost. I needed something I didn't care about too much, that I could write without it being perfect. So, I reversed the process of going from the Narutoverse to what I have dubbed (quite lamely) the Yuunaverse, and created this.

I really don't know where this story is going. I'm just following my intuition as I go along. I will probably end up writing myself into a corner. Constructive criticism is highly welcome as this is the first bit of creative writing I've let see the light of day since a school assignment four years ago that really didn't turn out well. I'm much more suited to research papers. On that note, don't expect me to update with any regularity. I'm slower than Christmas.

I wouldn't even be publishing this, really, but I want to be a beta, so this will check off a requirement.

Finally, I enjoy tweaking canon facts a little bit more than I should, so if you see something off, feel free to say something about it, but it was probably intentional.

As you know, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and I'm not making any profit from this. That applies to all subsequent chapters. Yuuna, however, belongs to me, and I'm very protective of her.

* * *

><p>It was the day before the genin exams.<p>

_A streak of green. _

Uzumaki Yuuna, the Hokage mountain, and her paints were one.

_Blue. It's not nearly a deep enough blue._

She was pointedly ignoring the fact that she ought to be reviewing with the rest of her class. She had quite intentionally failed the last two exams. No point in breaking the habit now.

_Color in motion. It was a masterpiece in the making._

Sure, the Hokage wanted her to become a ninja so she could protect herself. Why she, in particular, should, she didn't know. There were plenty of other orphan girls who weren't ninja, some of whom also lived on their own, but the Hokage didn't pester them. Sure, she'd feel just a little bit bad for making Iruka go through the, 'If only you applied yourself more...' speech again. But she didn't want to be a ninja, and the sooner he understood that nothing he could say was going to change that, the better.

This time around, things would be different. One could only fail the exam three times before being kicked out of the academy, so after this, she'd be free at last.

_A final brushstroke, and her signature in the corner. It was perfection._

Satisfied, Yuuna carefully plucked her canvas off the easel and laid it atop her stool so she could pack up her things. Painting en plein air was her favorite hobby. For the past three mornings she had been coming to the same hill to paint the Konohagakure cityscape when the light was soft and the streets were minimally busy. If only the Hokage and Iruka could see that all she wanted to do was to paint and to lead a wonderfully nonconfrontational life. Everyone else ignored her, leaving her to her own devices. It was clear that they should follow suit.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. There was Lee, and there was a shop owner, a half blind old widow who probably didn't know her best customer was _that girl_, but Yuuna wasn't about to enlighten her. Her store was dedicated to all things being or relating to paper: stationary, scrolls, canvases, brushes and pens, paints and inks, and so on. Nakamura-san even gave Yuuna a small discount for being, 'someone who truly appreciates,' her products. As such, it was Yuuna's haven.

And hopefully, after the exams were over, she would be free of her ties to the ninja lifestyle and could approach Nakamura-san about a job. She would still be receiving money from the orphan stipend until she reached legal majority (age of ninja academy graduation or sixteen), but extra money never hurt anything, and an employee discount would be a _goldmine_.  
>Yuuna slung her art duffel over over her shoulder, balanced her still-wet canvas atop her head with one hand, and made for her apartment. <em>Well, I finished it before first period was even over. By the time I get back it'll be just in time for third, which is better than I've done in the past. Maybe Iruka won't raise too much hell. <em>After putting away her things, she changed out of her paint smeared 'artist-outfit' and into her favorite dress and shorts combination. The shorts were for the sake of modesty during the taijutsu spars she tolerated being a part of and the dress for spiting the powers that be. It was a highly unconventional thing made of an airy green cotton with sleeves that went past her fingertips and a rather full multi-layered skirt that ended at her knees. It wasn't really her thing, but it _was _the antithesis of ninja, which was the point. Next to tackle was the most important part of her appearance: her hair.

Absolutely no one at the academy liked her knee-length bright red hair. The Hokage had told her that her mother, from whom she'd apparently gotten her red hair and violet eyes, had had the same problem. (Meaning, by process of elimination, that her facial structure must have come from her father, though which parent had endowed her with slitted pupils she could never find out. Surely if a parent were an Inuzuka she would live with them?) Normally, Yuuna was a practical person. She liked to observe from the background and then proceed with well-thought-out courses of action. These plans almost never involved making herself center stage or causing unnecessary trouble. But, if the other kids in her class weren't going to let her forget her hair anyway, she wasn't going to try to hide it. No buns, no pony tails, no pixie cuts. Better to flaunt it for all it was worth.

Today, she interspersed it with a few well-placed mini-braids and wove in some white feathers, of which some dangled gracefully and others stuck out at odd angles. It was wild. It was unrestrained. It was perfect.

Just like she'd predicted, she was able to sneak into class during the fifteen minute break between second and third period while most everyone else was making a run for the vending machines. Iruka only gave her a stern look when he came back, _Thank kami, _and resumed his review lesson while she, as per tradition, drew in her sketchbook. By tacit agreement, she and Uchiha Sasuke sat together every day, no matter what. She wasn't a fangirl, and he didn't annoy her with mindless chatter or patronizing admonishments to study. It was a good arrangement in her opinion, much better than when she'd had to sit in teacher assigned seats before Iruka came along.

* * *

><p>The exam came and went just like the other two did. Yuuna didn't know why she expected it to be different, but knowing her luck it would be entirely possible for some supernatural entity to happen to be passing through and decide to mess with her scores. But, just like the last two times she'd failed, she was called to the Hokage's office afterwards to discuss her future. <em>Maybe this time we can actually discuss something productive, and I can <em>move _on with my life. _She was ushered in and seated. The conversation started with a stare down, but eventually the man, who'd seemed less like a grandfather and more like a meddling old housewife as time went on, relinquished and removed his pipe to speak.

"Yuuna-chan"

"Hokage-sama"

He sighed and dragged a hand across his face, mumbling something like, "I'm too old to be having these kinds of conversations." He had just gathered his thoughts enough to articulate the one thing he had been trying so hard to keep from Yuuna all her life when she looked up from where she'd been adding a braid to her collection, "I'm going to ask Nakamura-san for a job today."

_Of course. _"Oh?"

"Yep yep. She's been sorta half-heartedly looking for someone for a while but can't find anyone who she thinks is responsible enough. I don't think she's considered the unemployed twelve-year-old demographic yet, but I'm sure she'd be receptive if I volunteered."

"Ah, Yuuna-chan..."

"I know, I know. It was an insult to my natural talent to fail, and as a member of Konoha with chakra potential, irresponsible of me to choose the path of the protected instead of the protector...

"Yuuna-chan..."

"But we all know eighty percent of jounin are men anyway. Yeah, every person makes a difference, will of fire and all that, but I don't think..."

"Damn it, Yuuna! I'm trying to tell you something important!"

Never in her life had the Hokage cursed around her, so she shut up on short order.

Hiruzen slouched back into his chair, "Forgive me Yuuna-chan. I must tell you a secret that I neither want to keep from you nor to reveal to you. It is something that you may or may not like to hear. I had wished to put it off until you had become a chuunin, but now it can wait no longer. It is the secret of your past, in theory, while in practice being two S-class secrets of Konoha's history. Do you want me to tell you both at once or explain each in its own time?"

_Well, if it's as bad as he's making it out to be, I won't want to deal with curiosity and shock at the same time, and if he's over exaggerating, it won't be anything to worry about. _"Just give it to me straight, Hokage-sama."

_Never has been one to beat around the bush, has she._ "First, please tell me you've listened in class enough to know the history of the Yondaime's part in the Kyuubi attack."

Yuuna raised an insulted eyebrow.

"Well, it's not like you've given me a lot of proof otherwise."

"Point."

"First, two facts that aren't secret, but aren't known to the general public. One, the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, had a wife named Uzumaki Kushina who was jinchuuriki to the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi attacked because her seal was broken while she was in labor. Two, Minato never killed the Kyuubi, but sacrificed his life to split the beast in half, pulling its yang chakra into a shinigami's stomach, where he will battle with it for an age. This reduced it in size enough that Kushina could seal the yin chakra into her newborn child, dying of chakra exhaustion in the process. Now, Yuuna-chan, can you guess the two secrets or shall I continue?"

Yuuna, being fairly analytical, had started on the right trail from the word 'Uzumaki.' This made the truth no less simple to accept. After a long pause she whispered, meeting the Hokage's penetrating gaze for gaze, "I, Yuuna Uzumaki, daughter of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, am the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

The Hokage nodded seriously, "Indeed."

She sagged in her chair and let her eyes drift to the painting of the Yondaime on the wall. "Hell. This changes everything. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"These are both S-class secrets guarded for your safety. There are others who don't think a twelve-year-old like you is mature enough to keep her mouth shut, but I told them you weren't like other twelve-year-olds. I let them convince me otherwise before, but I knew I couldn't let you discard your ninja career completely without telling you the truth."

"I don't want to believe you, but I'll do it anyway."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Well, it's obvious I'm going to have to become stronger if I want to keep Konoha's bijuu safely locked up, but..."

"Yes. Right, now you have two options. You won't officially be out of the academy's system until the teams are assigned tomorrow so if you were to happen to do Konoha a 'great service' before then, I could make you a genin on my authority, but there are other ways to become stronger as well. I haven't had a personal assistant in a while, and any person I deem worthy to sit at my right hand, be they civilian or ninja, would be able to access any training resource that I feel would make them more capable to do their job. Now, if you choose the second option..."

"Tell me about the Uzumaki clan."

A well-rehearsed train of thought derailed. "What was that?"

"The Uzumaki clan. The history books say that the Yondaime's wife moved here when her clan was wiped out, though they never gave her name. There must have been an Uzumaki clan, then. My clan."

"Ah," the Hokage rose from his chair and made his way to a bookshelf behind his desk, scanning the titles as he began explaining, "The Uzumaki were world renowned for their sealing techniques, though whether they were respected or despised for their abilities depended upon which country you were in. Their hidden village, Uzushiogakure, was the first true hidden village, and the most worthy of such a title. It was an island literally surrounded on all sides by violent whirlpools that only village members knew how to maneuver safely, and their barrier seals rendered it practically impervious from the sky. No one knew how many people lived there, and it was rumored that they kept the best of their sealing techniques to themselves, only sharing enough with the Senju clan to keep up the alliance they had.

I knew Kushina. I knew Uzumaki Mito, the first jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the Shodaime's wife, who taught me a thing or two when I was your age, so I can say without doubt that if they were representative of their clan as a whole, the Uzumaki were good people. However, in Iwa and Kumo and especially in Kiri, they were generally hated for their being... strange, for the lack of a better word, of having strange customs and of drawing on unnatural sources of power. Mito-san and your mother were a tad eccentric, yes, but that's to be expected of anyone born of a culture founded on isolation. It may have been through that hatred, or it may have been a territorial thing, since Uzushiogakure was Kiri's only opponent for control of the seas, but a man named Kagura, the jinchuuriki of the sanbi, raised an army and destroyed the entire village."

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

"Excuse me Hokage-sama," a mousey secretary peeped through the now cracked open door, "I know you don't like to be interrupted, but you wanted the genin team assignments to be available for your review ASAP and Mizuki-sensei has arrived with them."

"That's fine, let him in."

She disappeared, and Mizuki strode in, barely giving Yuuna a glance before bowing respectfully. "Miki Mizuki, bearing the tentative genin team assignment list. Umino-san also would like to request that Yuuhi Kurenai be appointed as jounin leader to team eight, Hokage-sama."

"At ease Miki-san. Tell Umino-san that I value his judgment and will grant his request. You may leave the list on my desk."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Mizuki passed Yuuna's right to place the folder on the desk, and with a concise bow, exited the room with self-possessed purpose and shut the door silently.

"Where was I?"

"Kagura destroyed my mother's village."

"Right. Kushina told me once that she only survived by chance, as she hadn't yet been able to access the Kyuubi's chakra. She moved here because she had liked the village when she came after Mito-san chose her to be the new jinchuuriki. The rest of the clan scattered, most changing their appearance and taking up identities that wouldn't be persecuted. I wish I could tell you how to find them."

Yuuna only nodded, finding it a lot to take in and the Hokage gave her time. "What's in the book?" she asked finally. He had returned to his seat about a third of the way into the speech and had found the page he was looking for not long after. He passed it to her then. It was a bound collection of old newspapers and was opened to a full-color front page column with a picture of an old woman standing next to a young girl, both of whom had Yuuna's hair and eyes. Yuuna looked up, "Oi, Hokage-sama. Are my eyes different because of the Kyuubi?"

_I was wondering when she'd ask. _"Yes, Yuuna. It's not a trait exhibited in any of your ancestors, so I can only assume that that is the reason."

"Nm..." Yuuna sat, focus turned inwards, and un-braided and re-braided one of her braids. Tying off the end, she looked at the Hokage with something like doubt in her eyes. "As Hokage, you're aware of the fact that Mizuki-sensei hates you, right?"

His posture straightened, "Miki-san? He..." His eyes narrowed calculatingly, "Yuuna, how could you know that for sure? And assuming you do, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, the second question is easy; I didn't know until ten minutes ago when he delivered the list. As for the first... well, I'm not sure how to say it, but I can sense... things...emotions. It was just kind of there in the back of my mind until I was... six ish?... it was right after I entered primary school, so yeah, six, I started putting words to what I was feeling. I would know when people around me were feeling hate or sadness or fear and, being as young as I was, I naturally assumed that everyone around me knew these things too. I figured out that they didn't, of course, eventually. Then, in the ninja academy they gave the lesson on types of ninja, sensory types included. As you know, I hadn't quite decided whether or not this stuff was for me at that point, so I started paying closer attention to what I could sense and got to a point where I could tell who the emotions were being directed at. By then, though, I'd made my decision. I didn't say anything because I know how rare sensory types are, and I didn't want to get forced into becoming Konoha's burglar alarm." She offered and apologetic smile-and-shrug.

"Yuuna-chan, that's fantastic! You know, I think I remember Mito-san having a similar ability. Maybe it's an Uzumaki trait of some sort. How far can you sense these things? I mean, have you measured your range?"

"Haha, I love seeing you in professor mode, Hokage-sama. I have measured it, in a sense. Usually, I can tell the position of everyone within a one block radius of myself if they are feeling a negative emotion, and if they're in my line of sight, I can tell who it's directed at, if that party is present. If someone is feeling particularly strong negative emotions, I can sense them from farther away. I bet you wondered how I evaded classes so well, didn't you?"

"Yes, this explains it! I bet Iruka shines like a beacon when he's looking for you."

"Ha, yep."

"So, back to the more serious matter at hand, Miki-san?"

"Oh, right. I've known he hates me for a long time, though I suppose I understand why now, but he didn't stop feeling hatred the whole time he was talking with you. I'm quite sure the feeling was directed at both of us."

The Hokage got a disheartened look on his face and Yuuna drummed her fingers on her thigh uncomfortably. He broke out of his reverie, "Sorry about that. Need to say something?"

"You don't have to be that bummed out about it you know. I mean, betrayal hurts, but you can't expect an entire village to be one hundred percent traitor free."

"It's not that Yuuna-ch... ha, I guess you could feel all that couldn't you?" A nod. "I'll have to be more careful around you from now on." He winked; she rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was just thinking how I wish I could have done so much more for you. It's my responsibility as your almost great grandfather, you know. Jiraiya was my student, Minato his student, and you Minato's daughter."

"Oh please. This is obviously another attempt to puff up your already over-inflated sense of pride, oh great God of Shinobi."

"Now, now Yuuna-chan, respect your elders."

* * *

><p>An hour later, as the streets began crowding with dinner-time foot-traffic, the Hokage was walking Yuuna back to her apartment. As she started to unlock her door, she paused and tugged on his sleeve. He bent over and she planted a small kiss on his cheek. "What was that for, Yuuna-chan?"<p>

She looked to the side, "I just wanted to say thank you... ojiisan... it means a lot to me to know who my parents were." Yuuna gave a small smile and Hiruzen thought his heart couldn't be fuller. His relationship with Yuuna had been strained more and more since the ninja-or-not question had entered the picture, but now he knew more than ever before that their bond was strong. As he scooped her up off the ground he half wished he could go back in time and tell her sooner, but things were good now, and it wasn't the time for regrets.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

He glided through the now open door and plopped her on her kitchen counter. He smiled down at her, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

She tried to pout, but couldn't hold it and fell into a smile.

"Shall I send Iruka by later on?"

"Nah, not tonight. Well, teams aren't assigned until noon tomorrow, right?'

"Correct."

"Can you ask him to come by in the morning?"

"Certainly."

"Guess you gotta go now, huh."

_Always so perceptive. _"I do, but I guess you know how I feel about that."

She snorted, and he kissed her forehead. From the threshold he asked, "Tomorrow at two?"

"Tomorrow at two, ojiisan."

"Yuuna-chan."

And with that, the door shut.

_Ah, Yuuna, this will be a long night for you. I know you'll do well, though. You'll be everything your parents ever dreamed of. _

Yuuna sat and stared at the floor from her perch on the counter. Over an hour later, she gathered her things and set out to one of her favorite hills and began to trace the colors of the summer sun. She painted quickly, using multiple small canvases to chronicle its decent, the moon's rise, and the night's fall.

She and the Hokage had discussed many possibilities for her future. She didn't want to be on a team, but he was insistent that teamwork was Konoha's foundation, that she would benefit from it. She wanted to visit the remains of Uzushiogakure, but he didn't think that she should until she was stronger.

She had chakra reserves larger than those of your average jounin, but control that remained obstinately average. They had tested her affinity in the office; it turned out to be wind. She assured the Hokage that she could have passed the test her first time around (albeit with less than flying colors), especially if the ninjutsu assessment was on henge (stupid bunshin). She was the second academy student in Konoha history to be able to form and hold a level nine transformation.(1,2,3) With a good memory and a knack for understanding theory, she'd failed her tests not because she didn't know the material, but because she'd drawn pictures for answers. Her aim was slightly sub-par, but she'd never practiced outside of class, so there was no way to know how much it could improve.

Her taijutsu was her worst area as she hadn't won a fight against anyone other than Sakura or Ino in two years, but only because she lacked power. Being naturally speedy and flexible, dodging was a talent and an instinct. Even aside from her past career decisions, she'd found she liked running as a counterbalance to her more sedate intellectual and creative pursuits. In fact, shortly after she had started making a habit of running every morning in her first year, she had happened to meet a boy who couldn't use chakra named Rock Lee. They, a pair of misfits, had become best friends and something of rivals and continued to spur each other on to greater speeds.

All these things and more they'd deliberated over and had finally managed to come to a compromise. The Hokage would contact Jiraiya, whom he'd revealed to be her godfather, and see if he'd agree to take her to the remains of her village. She wouldn't be part of a genin team, but would become a floater, attending a training session with each team once a week and filling in when individual members got sick. It would be difficult to balance each sensei's unique way of commanding and instructing, but they'd both agreed the adaptability she'd learn could only be a benefit in the end. She would also be assigned a personal sensei, Shiranui Genma, who had a secondary affinity to wind (his primary being earth) and who had known her father. He would teach her three days a week when he wasn't needed for missions.

In addition, while it had taken a bit of convincing on the Hokage's part, Yuuna's unique negative emotion sensing abilities would be made available to the interrogation department. He assured her that her involvement would be minimal. That is, after Ibiki got a feel for what she could do while he questioned Mizuki, of course.

(1)

The ten transformations are as follows, and must be learned sequentially.  
>1 - light illusion<br>2 - visual genjutsu  
>3 - audio visual genjutsu<br>4 - full sensory genjutsu  
>5 - skinhair/facial feature transformation  
>6 - transformations with a decrease in volume<br>7 - transformations with an increase in volume  
>8 - transformations into animals<br>9 - transformations into plants  
>10 - transformations into inanimate objects<p>

(2)

According to the KBS (Konoha Bureau of Statistics) 3980 report, level nine transformation is a skill achieved post-promotion by approximately fifty percent of jounin. Of these, only a third use it more frequently than twice a year due to the chakra consumption and the encyclopedic knowledge of flora necessary to make it effective. Of that third, only one percent report using the technique in a combat situation

(3)

The first academy student to achieve this feat was furthermore able to maintain a level ten. This student's name is classified. The only other student to come close was Senju Tsunade, who could maintain a level six at the time of her graduation.


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka came by the next day just as Yuuna returned from her morning run and patiently waited for her to shower before listening to her vent. It was his sacred duty as teacher/ brother figure/ sole confidant/ whatever he was. He was rather surprised to find out about her hidden talent, but managed to restrain himself to merely swatting her over the head when he realized how she had been avoiding him. As per tradition, they split a packet of M&M's before he left - the red, blue, and orange ones for her, the green, yellow, and brown ones for him. Parting, he admonished her to get some sleep before two o'clock, as she'd gotten maybe an hour and a half of sleep the night before, like the Hokage had predicted. However, she had way too much adrenaline in her system to even consider such a thing as a nap and was determined to update her wardrobe to suit her new lifestyle instead.

At one fifty-five, she stood before the Hokage in a pair of black cargo pants and a deep green sleeveless turtle-neck. Her long hair was secured in one braid and wrapped around her head like a headband.

"I approve." _Somehow she looks more at ease in these clothes than she did in her anti-ninja getups. I wonder what that says..._

"Thank you, ojiisan."

"You get any sleep at all last night?"

"Enough."

"Change your mind about anything?" _She's probably insulted that I had to ask. _

"Nope." _Are you losing it old man? Of course not. _

"Good. Well, Miki-san won't interrogate himself, now will he?"

"That was you trying to be funny again, wasn't it."

"Hush, child, and try not to embarrass me too much in front of Ibiki-san."

"Sure thing!" she said with a glint in her eye.

They navigated the maze that was the underground portion of the Hokage tower and eventually found Ibiki waiting for them near the room where Mizuki was being held. He nodded respectfully, "Hokage-sama."

"Ibiki-san. This is the girl I was telling you about, Uzumaki Yuuna. Yuuna-chan, this is Morino Ibiki."

Yuuna bowed a little lower than was necessary, as was her custom during introductions or when greeting people she wasn't fond of, "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Morino-san. I hope that we will be able to work well together."

Ibiki rose an eyebrow questioningly at the Hokage, who answered with a puff of his pipe. "No need for such formality, Yuuna-san. Come, follow me." He unlocked a door that led to a dimly lit room with a few chairs and a desk facing a two-way mirror. The desk supported what looked like a TV screen which was flanked by two lamps. Through the mirror, they could see Mizuki sitting at a table, hands cuffed to either hip and guarded by a single ANBU. "Please be seated." Ibiki propped himself against the now closed door as the other two pulled out chairs to face him. Yuuna sat closest to Ibiki and spun her chair around so she could prop her arms on the back, "Yuuna-san, Hokage-sama has explained your sensory abilities and your observations about Mizuki to me already, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Mm. Best I can describe it is that I can sense the origin and direction of negative emotions. If a person is feeling hate or anger, sadness, or fear, I can tell where they are, up to a block away. Also, if I can see them, I can tell if that emotion is directed at someone in their vicinity. Yesterday, when Mizuki came in to deliver the genin team list to ojiisan, I could feel that he hated both of us. Right now, he is very anxious," she looked at the mirror, "though, he is doing a good job of hiding it."

"That's quite a gift you have, Yuuna-san."

She shrugged, "Ojiisan thinks it might be an Uzumaki clan thing."

"Well, for the sake of legality and all, before we interrogate Mizuki we need to set up a test of your abilities. That way, no one can accuse you of making things up. Now, across the hall..."

Yuuna raised her hand.

"Yes."

"I felt them before we got here. In the room directly across from us, someone is sad, but not to the point of tears. To the left, two people are very angry, most likely at each other, though I can't be sure. To the right, someone is barely anxious enough for me to pick it up, oh wait, it's fluctuating. I know that chakra!" Her eyes flashed, "You dragged _Iruka_ into this?"

"Hokage-sama said nothing about you being able to recognize chakra signatures."

"Ah, it's only people I know well, which isn't many. Now, back to the important question, why is Iruka involved?"

"It made for a better experiment."

"Hm. Well, can you let him go now? He's rather busy this time of year."

Ibiki chuckled quietly, "As you wish. When I enter Mizuki's room, I want you to catalogue his emotions for me. The video monitor there will turn on when I flip a switch outside his room and a time counter will appear at the bottom. There's a notebook in the top right drawer of the desk which you can use to write down the time stamp each time you perceive a change in his emotions. Got it?"

"Got it," she said with a mock salute.

"Good. With your leave, Hokage-sama?"

"By all means."

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke didn't respect many people, but he did respect Uzumaki Yuuna. No, no matter how long he puzzled, he couldn't figure out why she was wasting her talent as a ninja, but it wasn't like he was going to actively involve himself in her affairs. She always got pissed when Iruka implemented creative methods to try to change her mind, and he didn't want her to be pissed at him. She was too good at explaining things. He actually wasn't sure if he'd have top scores in every subject like he did if it weren't for her. Iruka was a good teacher, yes. He was a good student, also yes. But no-one, even a 'prodigy,' can always do everything the best out of a group without a little extra help, and Yuuna had magically provided that extra boost with an alternate perspective on this chakra theory or that tactical concept. Her talent was such that even he, the king of silent brooding, couldn't help but ask why she was purposely bombing all her tests. Her response was an emotionally charged diatribe on how she had been 'forced into this mess' against her will. The Hokage, of all people, had pushed her into it, for no apparent reason, and she wanted out.<p>

When she failed out of the academy on her third try, he was a little disappointed to see her go, but he'd been expecting it so it wasn't that bad. Nope, not that bad even though he was stuck with that pink haired fangirl. Understandably then, on the third day of his new life as a genin Sasuke was quite surprised when he saw Yuuna walking towards their group. She was wearing none of her 'ninja-protest' clothes and not only looked the part of a fighter, but also seemed pleased to be there. It was bizarre. Kakashi had announced that a tokubetsu genin, or 'floater' would be joining them that day (a Friday) and every Friday from then on (that they didn't have a mission), and that in addition she would be filling in holes on missions (if anyone was sick or injured). Sasuke's first thought had been, 'I hope she's stronger than the other two,' not, 'I bet it's Yuuna.' And yet, here she was.

Yuuna bowed a little lower than was necessary in front of Kakashi, "Uzumaki Yuuna reporting. Hatake Kakashi, I presume?"

"Correct, Yuuna-chan. You may call me Kakashi-sensei. I assume you already know Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, and Yuki-kun?"

"I do."

"Alright, we've been training..."

Sasuke interrupted, "Yuuna, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a genin, see?" She pointed to the hitai-ate tied around her right arm.

"Of course I see, but how? You failed the test."

"I performed a special service to Konoha and was rewarded for my actions. You heard about Mizuki-sensei being ousted as a traitor, right?"

"Everyone has."

"That was me. I'm a budding sensory type," she raised her nose in the air in mock smugness.

"You never wanted to be a ninja."

"I changed my mind."

"But..."

Kakashi coughed and the two realised they were being stared at. Yuki mumbled, "I think that's the most I've heard either of them talk at one time..."

Yuuna shot Sasuke an 'I'll tell you later' look and squared her shoulders, "You were saying something about training, Kakashi-sensei?"

* * *

><p>Team seven plus one stood in the genin mission room as the Hokage explained how they were being given a C-rank escort mission to the Land of Waves with Yuuna because she was going to be meeting Jiraiya of the sannin in three weeks time in a town in that direction. However, Sasuke's mind was somewhere else. It had been weeks since graduation and Yuuna had still avoided giving a straight answer about why she'd changed her mind; it had something to do with her recently revealed parentage and a burden thereof, but the details were greatly lacking. He couldn't let it go. All of his Uchiha senses told him something fishy was going on and he was going to find out what.<p>

Three days later, the team was walking in a modified diamond formation surrounding their client, Tazuna, with Sasuke and Yuuna sharing point, Sakura staring daggers through Yuuna from the right, Yuki chit-chatting with Tazuna on the left, and Kakashi reading Icha Icha in the back. Sasuke (for whom 'the silent treatment' wasn't really an effective weapon as seventy percent of his communication only involved body language and wordless vocalizations anyway) had made it his personal mission to frustrate Yuuna into divulging her secrets by turning the topic of every conversation they had onto the subject of reasons why one would change one's mind or of reasons why one would prefer to be a ninja instead of a civilian. Yuuna, for her part, was pointedly ignoring his attempts and fluidly maneuvering things in the directions she wanted.

Since the day she had become a genin, Yuuna began receiving rather intense instruction in maximizing her sensory abilities. Her negative emotion sensing range had increased four fold, and she discovered that she could sense all genin-plus level chakra within a block as well, though for some reason all positive emotions were completely off limits. So that afternoon, when she used hand signals to communicate that two chuunin level chakra signatures of unknown emotion had just breached her range and seemed to be maintaining a fixed location directly ahead, the team went on alert and Tazuna started fidgeting more than seemed reasonable. It was as though he knew they had discovered a threat even though he had no way to know what they had been signing to each other. The chakra turned out to belong to the Demon Brothers of the Mist, apparently tasked the mission of off-ing Tazuna, and Sasuke and Kakashi defeated them in short order. Even though the mission parameters had changed from C-rank to B or maybe even A-rank, the team voted to continue on, three to one. Saving the Land of Waves from such an evil as Gatou took obvious priority over technicalities. After all, Kakashi, a jounin and former ANBU captain, handled solo A-ranks all the time. After setting up for camp that night, Yuuna approached Kakashi, who was sitting on the opposite side of the campfire from the other four.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'd like to climb a tree and do a scan of our surroundings, and I'd like to take Sasuke with me. If I'm higher up and enter a meditative state, my range increases by a quarter." 'I'm going to tell Sasuke about _it,_' she signed, hands hidden from everyone else's line of sight.

"Ah, Yuuna-chan, I don't know if now is the best time."

"Actually now, with the possibility of facing a jounin in the near future, is the best time I can think of." She looked at him seriously.

"Maa, maa," he leaned to the side to connect eyes with Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, follow Yuuna-chan. You're going to be her body guard while she meditates on our surroundings."

Sasuke got up while Sakura glared at Yuuna.

Sitting three quarters of the way up a redwood outside of the main group's hearing range, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Yuuna, who nodded. "Sasuke, as one of my most respected comrades, as someone who can keep a secret, and as someone who has seen more of the true nature of the ninja life than most of the members of our generation, I am going to make you one of the first people under the age of twenty-five to know this. However, I will not do this for free. I might have just told you eventually, but you've been annoying as hell, so this is what you get."

Sasuke snorted.

"My price is this. Every Friday after we train, unless you're busy with a mission, I want you to meditate with me."

"You want me to what?"

"Meditate. The more I improve my sensory abilities, the harder it is for me to focus when I'm around you. You're almost always upset about something. You're not just angry under certain contexts. It's not just a constant hum in the background. It's this constant, unpredictable up and down. It's bloody distracting. Meditation will help, unless you have a better idea." _Ok, so it's not so much that he's any more distracting than the next guy, but I know for a fact that he needs this. I'm sure the White Lie Committee will approve my case._

He stared at her.

"You can use meditation to improve your chakra control too."

"Fine, now tell me."

"Alright, you know how the story is that the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi when it randomly attacked Konoha? Well, it's a lie. His wife, Uzumaki Kushina had been jinchuuriki to the Kyuubi until it broke free while she was giving birth. Need to say something?"

"Yah, jinchuuriki?"

"Oh, sorry. I forget what I've read and what was generally taught in the academy. A jinchuuriki is someone who has a tailed beast sealed inside of them. It's the same concept as the storage seals used to hold weapons in scrolls, but vastly more complicated in that it involves humans and giant malevolent chakra entities. Each of the five great shinobi nations has one or two to maintain the balance of power."

"Hn."

"Anyway, Kushina was giving birth when the seal broke, and due to a complicated series of events, when she and the Yondaime got the fox back under control, neither of them had enough chakra to seal the whole thing back into a single person. So, he used a kinjutsu to seal half of it into a shinigami's stomach, dying in the process, and she sealed it into her newborn child. She died soon afterwards because of chakra exhaustion and the severe trauma of having a bijuu ripped out of her. See where I'm going?"

"You're their daughter."

"I am."

"So, no one told you this until after you failed out, but when they did, it became obvious that you had to get stronger to protect yourself and one of Konoha's great assets."

"Essentially."

"...Are there any perks that come with that kind of thing?"

"Well, the seal allows its chakra to drip out into mine, which is apparently the reason why I have bigger reserves than normal. Supposedly, someday I'll learn to call on more of its chakra at will, though other jinchuuriki have had mixed success on that front. On the other hand, I have to work twice as hard as anyone else to improve my chakra control, and I get nightmares."

"The fox gives you nightmares?" he asked dubiously.

"Mm. About once a week I dream that I'm killing off some village or another, or battling random demons."

"You sound awfully nonchalant about killing people."

"And sometimes eating. You get used to it."

He looked vaguely unsettled.

"Though, Sasuke, you're not the kind to think differently of me because of something I can't control... are you?"

Sasuke glared.

"That's what I thought." She shifted from sitting to crouching, "Well, I supposed we should get back before the others wonder if we've been abducted by aliens."

"Wait."

Yuuna sat back down.

"If you're the Yondaime's daughter, shouldn't people... respect you more... or whatever?"

"You mean how almost no one will give me the time of day? First, remember nobody knows, and second, I _am_ the physical representation of all the lives that were lost. We hate all Iwa shinobi even though the chance that we'll meet someone who actually killed a friend or relative in the third war is slim to none. It's the same thing."

He opened his mouth, paused, and shut it, disagreeing but unable to refute the logic.

"Honestly, I'm just happy to know the reason."

"Fine, but what about what your parents did to you? Are you seriously okay with them condemning you to this life and then abandoning you to live it alone?"

She shifted uncomfortably, "That was very... to the point. I mean, I don't ever wake up and think, 'Oh, I'm happy that I'm an orphan,' but I know that they did what had to be done for the sake of Konoha. I'm happy they sealed the Kyuubi in me, rather than someone else, because it means they had faith that I would be able to control it, to protect the village in their stead. Does that make any sense?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

"I'm glad."

"You know, according to Uchiha legend, the sharingan is able to control tailed beasts."

"Huh. That'll be an interesting theory to test out. That is, if you ever get your sharingan," she said with a wink.

Sasuke turned and started descending the tree.

"Hey, wait!" She caught up to him just after he landed on the ground, "I didn't mean it, you know."

"I know," he offered a rare smile. "Let's go back and get some sleep."

They began strolling back in the direction of the soft glow of the campfire.

"Did you scan around at all while we were up there or was it a complete ruse?"

"Oh, that thing I said earlier about my range increasing from greater heights was a lie. Foliage density has no effect whatsoever. I actually scanned pretty far out while we were eating supper. I can meditate well enough so long as I don't have to pay much attention to whatever else I'm doing. I'll do another scan before I go to sleep, so we'll be fine."

"Interesting."

* * *

><p>"Guys, and Sakura, I just placed a high jounin and a chuunin at ten o'clock."<p>

Ten minutes later, "Everybody down!" A sword as long as Kakashi was tall sliced through the area that the adults' necks had only just occupied. No-one there had any doubt that the thing, which was shaped like a butcher's knife, could have decapitated them both. It lodged itself in a tree far above and a ninja in strange clothing landed on it to look at the group from over his shoulder. It was an unspoken challenge and act of superiority, entering a battle with his back to the enemy. What the fashion statement he was making out of his shirtless, pinstripe pants and camo' combo was saying however, was anyone's guess.

"Well, well. If it isn't Kirigakure's nukenin Momochi Zabuza-kun."

While the real Yuuna was sneaking up on the chuunin in the woods, a Kakashi-kagebunshin disguised as Yuuna did its best to appear frightened and taken-unawares. The real Kakashi was almost done with the obligatory pre-battle taunting session and was preparing to reveal his sharingan when an explosion sounded from where everyone respectively knew Yuuna/Haku to be. Zabuza's shoulders tensed, Kakashi's cue.  
>"You thought we didn't know about your little companion? It's awfully late in the game for you to be making rookie mistakes like that Zabuza-kun." Kakashi said as he lifted his hitai-ate.<p>

"No, copy-ninja, I am merely surprised that my Haku left your companion conscious long enough to wrap a tag around a kunai." No-one could see the smirk hidden behind the bandages wrapping the lower portion of his face, but the threat was laced with palpable venom.

Then, the fight started in earnest.

Meanwhile Yuuna, disguised as a squirrel, did her best to analyze this mercenary in oinin's clothing. She had started following him/her as soon as the big one had attacked the main group. Now it was a matter of making subtle use of a disorienting genjutsu Kurenai had taught her to keep him/her from seeing where she was throwing exploding kunai from during the three seconds it took to un-transform, throw, and re-transform. This kid was no joke and threw off the genjutsu almost as soon as it was placed, but that pause was long enough for the tactic to be effective even if it didn't result in any direct hits. Yuuna's training with Team Eight, especially Kiba, was paying off. She may never find a way to evade chakra sensing bugs or x-ray eyes, but there weren't many people with similar skill sets that she should ever have to seriously fight, and so she was quickly becoming a stealth specialist.

Despite remaining effectively hidden, Yuuna had almost been pin-cushioned several times by area attacks made of water senbon. He/she kept trying to move closer to the shore, presumably to have easier access to water, but Yuuna wasn't going to let him...her... the _kid_. She remembered Kakashi's words from after she'd first alerted the team to the threat.

_If they attack separately, I'm going to send you after the chuunin, Yuuna-chan. You may be behind the others in some areas, but when facing a stronger enemy, those who can remain unseen are the most likely to survive. I'm confident you can at least keep them distracted long enough for the rest of us to deal with the other one first. Since we're in Wave, there's a strong chance that it'll be a water user. If that's the case, the best thing you can do is keep them away from their element._

Even without that source, though, the kid kept spewing out water senbon like it was nothing and was showing no signs of slowing down, using one handed seals, no less! _Well, two can play at that game. _Yuuna, still a squirrel, scurried to a better vantage point and prepared the jutsu she had spent the most time working on besides honing her sensory abilities. Genma had been impressed by her grasp on chakra theory, which included extra-curricular research that most chuunin had never even considered, and had decided to help her start honing her element first thing. It was only just beginning, naturally; pure chakra-to-element transformation was a long way away, but wind techniques came more easily to her than to, say Kakashi, who was primarily lightning aligned.

Releasing her henge as discretely as she could, she performed the necessary hand signs and then reached into her pouch of senbon with her left hand while maintaining a half ram seal with her right. So long as she maintained the seal, everything she threw would be imbued with the extra speed and cutting power of wind chakra. She released a volley on the kid, whose back was turned, and quickly vaulted to another tree to attack from another angle, but before she even landed, the kid created some kind of ice dome and the senbon just bounced off. It was kind of an awkward thing as there wasn't enough space between the trees for it to exist uninterrupted, so it looked like it had saplings growing out of the sides, but it was obviously strong since it had withstood a jutsu invented to pierce metal. _Wow. That thing's tough. Wonder if this is a kekkei genkai or just a higher level skill... maybe a runaway from Kiri's bloodline purges. _Spotted by the ice user, she used kawarimi and henge in rapid succession, suddenly becoming a leafy branch two trees over. How exactly she could hear while transformed into an plant, she didn't know, but that didn't stop her from hearing the ice chuunin say, "It is cowardly to keep running like that. Zabuza-sama and I have no particular wish to kill you. Only convince your team to give up Tazuna-san, and you are all free to go."

Yuuna released her transformation and jumped down to the forest floor, relatively sure she wouldn't soon be full of holes since the ice dome was still up. _Maybe I can get him/her talking long enough for the others to finish up. _A blood curdling feminine scream resounded throughout the woods, followed by the sound of gulls rapidly departing. _Well, scratch that. Now How'm I gonna end this... _She looked up at the flock of gulls now over-head. _Well, it's worth a shot. _

Haku was just about to ask whether the puny red-head in front of him whether or not she was officially giving up when she was suddenly replaced by what appeared to be a disgruntled sea gull. He looked up, only to get a face full of the sun's afternoon rays, glaring with all the intensity that being filtered through ice could could create. He released the technique and started blinking the spots away when he felt that twice damned genjutsu wash over his senses again. He broke its hold and began looking through the trees for the barrage of exploding kunai that ought to be coming when his danger sense kicked in and he made to dodge whatever was falling from above, but it wasn't quite enough. Really, what would be enough when the remains of a rotting fishing boat come crashing down on you from the sky?

"The hell?" he groaned as he began to pick himself up from where a piece of the railing had slammed him into the ground. This, however, was not to be, as Yuuna had appeared faster than you can say 'executive transvestite' with a kunai against his neck.

"You will stand up, slowly, keeping your hands where I can see them, and then find a nice big tree to hug and lay your palms flat against it. Don't even think about trying a one handed seal again unless you have a death wish."

They moved to a tree almost three feet in diameter and Yuuna began tying Haku to it with ninja wire.

"Did, did you just kawarimi with a boat?" _The amount of chakra required to switch with something that big should knock out someone of her age and size..._

"A good ninja does not reveal her secrets." _Are you stupid? Of course I used kawarimi with the boat. You didn't see me carrying around an enormous storage scroll did you? _

"You can't blame me for trying."

"I never said I did. Well, that should take care of you for now. I'll be borrowing this."

Yuuna plucked Haku's mask off his face and studied him for a moment before utilizing henge to take his form.

"Well, you'd best see how Zabuza-sama is faring, shouldn't you?"

Haku snorted and Haku-Yuuna smirked before donning the mask and taking to the trees. Before arriving at the road where they were attacked, she saw two Zabuzas. One tying an unconscious Yuki to a tree, while the other was tying up a conscious, but gagged and very unhappy about it, Sakura, also to a tree. _A solid clone, like Kakashi-sensei's. But which one is the real one? Or are they both clones? _Her question was answered as both Zabuzas melted into water. She slunk down from her perch in a maple and silently crept up behind Sakura. She pressed the sign Team Seven used to mean 'I request whispered communication' against Sakura's shoulder and was relieved when she only just squeaked in surprise.

"I've got Haku tied up. Where are the others?" Yuuna whispered in Sakura's ear as she pulled down her gag.

"S-sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei are, they're, they're in trouble! Tazuna's probably dead. Yuki and I were trying to find you, but the clones!" Sakura whisper-cried. She seemed to be walking the line between worry and full-on hysterics.

"Shh, not so loud." Yuuna began untying her. "You hide Yuki as best you can and then run on to the town and find someone who can help, or at least send word to Konoha that we're in trouble. I'll go see what I can do."

"How are you gonna," at that moment, Sakura turned to see Haku's mask staring back at her. "Oh, you're in henge as his companion?"

A nod.

"Ok, well, I can untie myself the rest of the way. Go help Sasuke-kun!"

"How bad is it? What about..."

"His arm! There's no time! Just go!"

"Fine, fine, I'm going!"

Seconds later, Yuuna broke through the edge of the woods to see Zabuza sitting next to a decapitated Tazuna, cleaning his giant sword.

"Zabuza-sama."

"Ah, Haku-chan. I was beginning to worry."

"No reason to, the coward only lasted as long as she did because she was good at hiding. I saw two little ones on my way here. Where is the other? And the jounin?"

Zabuza inclined his head in the direction of the shore, and Haku-Yuuna strolled with more apparent calmness than she felt towards two bodies. She saw Kakashi first, prone and unconscious, but otherwise just scratched up and soaked with water. His hitai-ate was no where to be seen and his normally bushy hair was plastered messily to his skull. An uncomfortable feeling began gathering in the pit of her stomach as she wondered how she and anyone Sakura could come up with could possibly stand up to a nukenin powerful enough to take down one of Konoha's elite jounin. What had finally taken him down? Was there _poison _involved?

Then she saw Sasuke. Lying supine and unnaturally still, his right hand was clenched around the middle of his left forearm, a bloody stump visible just below where his wrist should have connected. He was as pale as death. She couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest.

Her heart dropped to her stomach and began decaying in the acid. Their first C-rank and Sasuke and Kakashi had died. And it was her fault! If she hadn't needed an escort to meet Jiraiya, they would all still be pulling weeds out of some old codger's garden. She was as ice, frozen in guilt and in terror. She turned back to Zabuza, eyes on the ground but still seeing the puddle of blood growing around the body of one of her best friends. She was powerless.

"Something wrong, Haku? I know you don't like it when I kill them, but the cocky brat was asking for it. It couldn't be helped."

Then her heart, melting in acid, burst into flames. No, she was not powerless. She could feel, more than hear, the fox offering its hate, its strength. _Take it. Take it and destroy the ones who stole from you. _Her emotions were falling beyond her grasp; they were tumbling over a precipice into a chasm that led to who knows where. Her chakra was swelling and pushing at her seams and straining to just. get. out. She was nauseous with the energy and with the taste of her dissolving inner organs. _I accept. _

Three things happened in succession. Yuuna's eyes connected with Zabuza's, the henge fell, and the world erupted in red.

Unbenownst to her, while she _(a true demon, the queen of demons)_ was ripping the Demon of the Hidden Mist to shreds, the bloody chakra that was blanketing the earth for yards in every direction was cauterizing every open wound it touched.

The fight lasted only moments, and when Zabuza lay on top of his own mostly melted sword, bloody, armless, and missing half his face, Yuuna's chakra shroud receded to the point that only her eyes were glowing red with malice. Unsatisfied, but with no where else to direct her anger, she turned back to Sasuke and Kakashi, not knowing what to do other than to wait by their sides until Sakura came back with people who could help carry the bodies. She sat, not caring about the gash in her shoulder (or how quickly it was healing) which she had gotten during the fifteen seconds it had taken Zabuza to realize he was outmatched. That moment when his sword had first contacted her red blood and chakra had started a corrosive reaction that had turned the it into a slice of metallic swiss cheese.

She took care of Kakashi first, pulling off his wet vest and shirt and laying them out in the sun while doing her best to prop his head comfortably against his pack. She was too young to have any kind of medical training beyond first aid, so there was no way to tell whether he had a concussion or was poisoned, but he didn't seem any worse for wear than when she'd first seen him, so she allowed herself to hope. She pulled out a jar of antibacterial salve to keep infection out of his cuts and was about to tend to them when she noticed that they looked rather odd. If one wiped away the blood, it looked as though the flesh had burned itself shut. Unlike normal cauterization, which was usually a messy last resort and resulted in tissue surrounding the wound being burned as well, this was confined precisely within the edges of the cut.

Warily, she turned to Sasuke, but couldn't see the wound itself for all the blood. She began wiping it away with a cloth from her pack that she had wet with water from her canteen and discovered that it looked almost professionally neat. The slice had been clean, obviously caused by Zabuza's blade, and the previously open end was now a smooth, but no less gruesome, black. She heard something like an intake of breath and looked up to see Sasuke's brows twitch, like he was trying to frown.

He was alive! He was alive? How could he be alive? No time for questions! Doctor now, questions later.

She picked him up as gently as she could, adrenaline removing any cares she may have had about his weighing more than she did, and called upon all her speed. Fifteen minutes later, eyes still more red than violet, she was running up to the first row of houses, screaming for a doctor.

"My friend is dying! Is there a hospital here? Anyone with medical training?"

A woman opened a window from her second floor apartment. "The only doctors here are at Gatou's hospital, if you can call it that, but it'll cost you."

"I don't care, just tell me where it is!."

"Keep going until this street dead ends into Gatou's mansion, then take a right. You'll know it when you see it."

"Thank you!"

The woman, Hanako, shut her window and started hunting for her sunhat. The only person she knew in the village who had left to hire ninja was Tazuna, and if he was in trouble, something would have to be done about it.


End file.
